Cuba Gooding, Jr: 'N-word is important in O.J. drama'

Cuba Gooding, Jr. is glad the producers of hit TV drama The People V. O.J. Simpson didn’t censor the N-word.

The American Crime Story series follows the events surrounding the fallen sports star's 1995 murder trial following the deaths of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman. Cuba plays the man himself, with John Travolta, David Schwimmer and Sarah Paulson taking on supporting roles.

In the latest episode to air in America, viewers watched Nathan Lane’s character, F. Lee Bailey, ask Det. Mark Fuhrman (Steven Pasquale), the man who discovered key evidence at the crime scene, if he had ever used the racist slur, repeating the derogatory term multiple times.

"Absolutely I think it's important,” Cuba told People magazine when asked about the use of N-word. “Our job as artists is to reflect the ills of society sometimes and to find a truth in that, and I think you can't start the healing process until you recognise the truth and all of its ugly warts and all.”

However, this wasn’t the most upsetting scene for Cuba. That’s still to come in an episode that deals with the infamous Fuhrman tapes - 13 hours of taped interviews given by Fuhrman to writer Laura McKinny that includes racist slurs and remarks made by the detective.

"That one's brutal," Cuba admitted.

O.J., who was acquitted of the murders, is currently in jail for his part in a Las Vegas robbery.

Asked what he thought the fallen sports star would make of his portrayal, Cuba hopes he can see some accuracy in it.

“I hope he would find some identification of some truth as he knew it back then,” he said. “And that he would eventually find redemption and healing. And I’m not saying he’s guilty or innocent, but I hope anybody who watches this finds a better understanding.”